(i)Networking activities, (ii) Transnational Access and / or service activities and (ii) Joint research activities. All three categories of activities are mandatory as synergistic effects are expected from these different components.

TA activities provide transnational access to researchers or research teams to one or more infrastructures among those operated by participants. These access activities should be implemented in a coordinated way such as to improve the overall services available to theresearch community. Access may be made available to external users, either in person ('hands-on') or through the provision of remote scientific services, such as the provision of reference materials or samples or the performance of sample analysis.

Who can participate in a Transnational Access call?

Applications for the INFRAFRONTIER-I3 TA can only be submitted from customers based in eligible countries, namely:

The INFRAFRONTIER-I3 TA mouse production service is provided free of charge. The free of charge access does also include the shipment cost of produced mice to the customer's facility (covering shipment cost of up to 800 EUR per shipment). However, it is the selected applicants responsibility to purchase ES cells from an IKMC repository and to cover shipment cost of ES cells to the INFRAFRONTIER-I3 mouse production centre.

The INFRAFRONTIER-I3 TA mouse phenotyping service is provided free of charge. Only shipment cost of ES cells or mice to the participating mouse clinics must be covered by the applicants.

Are submitted proposals treated with confidentiality?

Submitted project proposals will be collected and passed on by the INFRAFRONTIER-I3 Project Office to members of the external Evaluation Committee. All members of the Evaluation Committee signed a confidentiality agreement.

What is the selection process and the criteria used to assess submitted proposals?

Service requests from eligible customers for free of charge access to the INFRAFRONTIER-I3 TA services will be subject to a review procedure which will be initiated after calls for TA applications are closed. The review will be based on short descriptions of the projects involving the mouse mutants that are generated or phenotyped by the TA services. Members of the external INFRAFRONTIER Evaluation Committee will assess service requests supported by the TA activity. 'External Committee' means that no member is affiliated with any participating mouse production or mouse phenotyping centre. Selection criteria are:

1) Availability of ES cells or mice

2) Scientific merit

3) Soundness of submitted proposal

4) Access of applicants to transgenic or phenotyping facilities

The panel will try to ensure that free access is granted to those users who have not previously benefited from this scheme. Only one access unit will be granted to a principal investigator per call. Applicants will be informed on the outcome of the evaluation within 4 weeks after the end of the call for which the TA application was submitted.